Typical snare drums include a cylindrical drum shell with two open ends, a drum head stretched across each open end, and a snare unit in contact with one of the drum heads. The snare unit includes multiple snare strands that contact the drum head and vibrate when the drum is played. The snare units typically include snare anchors connected to opposite ends of the snare strands, and straps connected between the snare anchors and a snare strainer assembly that is attached to the drum shell. When the snare strainer assembly is tightened, the snare strands contact the drum head. The snare strainer assembly typically includes a mechanism that allows the snare unit to be selectively engaged and disengaged from the drum head, depending upon whether the drum player wishes to have the effect of the snares or not.
Conventional snare drum shells typically include oppositely-facing recesses in the edge of the opening across which the snared drum head is stretched. These recesses cause the drum head to assume a complex, three-dimensional shape that includes corresponding, oppositely facing concave snare beds. The snare beds receive the snare anchors at each end of the snare strands, so as to allow the snare strands to contact the drum head, despite the presence of the anchors.
While the foregoing arrangement provides for a generally suitable snare drum sound, it can suffer from several drawbacks. For example, the recesses formed in the drum shell to create the snare beds add complexity to the manufacturing process of the drum. Furthermore, the presence of the snare beds may cause different strands of the snare unit to act in different manners, which may detract from the uniformity of the sound produced by the snare drum.